Season Dates: Northern zone – Archery: Sept. 27 through the Friday preceding the next to last Saturday in October. Firearm: Last Saturday in October through first Sunday in December. Muzzleloader: The seven-day period before the firearm season begins. Southern zone – Archery: Saturday following the second Monday in October through the day before the firearms season. Firearms: For 23 days beginning the third Saturday of November. Muzzleloader: For nine days following the firearms deer close.

The Grade: B+
There's a lot to like about New York deer hunting. Deer numbers are pushing a million animals. Variety abounds – from good suburban hunting in the layers of counties surrounding New York City; to classic farmland in the west; the wilderness Adirondacks; traditional deer camps in the Catskills; and more farmland in the northwest. Public land opportunities are good, especially in the mountains, but elsewhere too (see http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7844.html). Tags are numerous and over the counter. Access can be difficult to get in private land areas, holding New York back just a little bit, and for a state this size, it’s underrepresented in the trophy record books.

Antler Nation Knowledge: Interesting New York record book buck factoid: Both the state's typical and non-typical record bucks came from same county (Allegany) in the same year (1939), and there are only three total bucks from Allegany County in the book. So, 1939 must have been a very good year in Allegany County!